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EDUCATION 

S. WILE, M.S., M.D. 




GopigkN - 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIR 



SEX EDUCATION 



Sex Education 



BY 



Ira S. Wile, M.S.,M.D. 




NEW YORK 
DUFFIELD AND COMPANY 

1912 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface . .... ix 

Introduction .... 3 

I The Age of Mythology . . 29 

II The Age of Chivalry . . 51 

CII The Age of Civic Awakening . 91 

IV Conclusion . . . „ 119 

V Terminology . . . .133 

VI Bibliography .... 147 



PREFACE 



THE growing literature relating 
to sex hygiene bespeaks the in- 
terest that the subject merits. 
While there has developed a wide- 
spread belief that some form of instruc- 
tion in sexual topics is requisite, no 
definite program has been developed. 

Much attention is being lavished 
upon the various plans for introducing 
sex hygiene as a definite subject in the 
curricula of high schools and colleges 
but insufficient thought has been spent 
upon the necessity of similar education 
in the homes. 

Parents are not prepared for the 
adoption of any radical measures like 
sex instruction in the elementary 
schools. Nor do parents feel them- 



Sex Education 

selves capable of assuming the role of 
teachers in this important branch of 
knowledge. 

Where the spirit is willing there is 
a lack of a definite plan. Where the 
spirit is weak it is too frequently be- 
cause the obstacles appear insurmount- 
able. 

For the purpose of assisting par- 
ents to banish the difficulties and to 
suggest a plan for developing a course 
of instruction this book is written. With 
unavoidable shortcomings and limita- 
tions it merely constitutes a program 
for sex instruction, 

I. S.W. 

230 West 97th Street. 



INTRODUCTION 



INTRODUCTION 



"ririHE concealment of truth is the 
only indecorum known to sci- 
ence," wrote Westermark. In no 
part of human affairs is this more true 
than in the veil of mystery that is 
thrown around the problems of sex and 
its correlated phenomena. 

While it is generally correct that 
every cause is an effect and every effect 
is a cause, careful thought will show 
that the sex problems arise from two 
fundamental causes. In the last analy- 
sis, the main problems that are of in- 
terest arise from a clash of temptation 
and wills. Society presents one cause, 
the temptation, through the real social 
evils of over-work and under-pay, de- 
layed marriages, poor housing facili- 

3 



Sex Education 

ttes with the consequent trials of room- 
congestion and lack of personal pri- 
vacy, child labor and the interming- 
ling of children and adults under un- 
natural conditions and at dangerous 
times, inadequate opportunity for the 
expression of the energy of the human 
species and the train of horrors like 
dance-halls, saloons, and boat excur- 
sions, family unhappiness and the de- 
sire to be somebody and have some- 
thing that is beyond the daily measure 
of earnings. All these are but a small 
part of the ills that can be remedied 
only through the interaction of the ag- 
gregate of individuals that is termed 
society. These embrace all the social 
and economic factors which are gen- 
erally correlated to account for the 
origin and necessity of illegal perver- 
sions of the sexual instinct. This forms 
the soil from which the sexual weed 
emanates. 



Introduction 

The seed lies within the individual 
and the fertility of the weed depends 
upon the essential nature of the seed 
as gotten from its parents and the char- 
acter of the soil upon which it is to 
fall. 

The will of the individual is the 
second important factor that demands 
consideration. The development of 
the will of the child is largely in the 
power of the parents. Children are 
largely what their parents make them, 
though their characters are constantly 
undergoing changes due to the reaction 
to environment. This factor of char- 
acter development may be guided 
through adequate education for which 
the parents should be held responsible. 
The truths pertaining to sex must not 
be concealed any longer. The policy 
of permitting the truths relating to the 
physiology, psychology and hygiene of 
sex to be studiously ignored practi- 

5 



Sex Education 

cally negatives the establishment of a 
sexual morality. 

It is not my purpose to consider the 
origin of external temptations save to 
remark that the white slave traffic, 
prostitution and similar crimes against 
the person have their strongest roots in 
the poverty of the majority of the com- 
munity as measured by the standard of 
living that has been established by 
economists and social workers and in 
the inequalities of our present indus- 
trial system, and does not originate in 
an inherent viciousness of those who 
fall as victims in the strife. 

Society reaps the whirlwind in vene- 
real diseases, unnecessary blindness, in- 
sanity, marital infelicity, divorces, de- 
sertions, invalidism of soldiers and 
sailors, and the preventable mutilation 
of women and men. In truth, society 
pays for its shortcomings, just as the 
body of the individual suffers from 
6 



Introduction 

malnutrition, alcoholism, and sexual 
abuses. 

An opportunity for the removal of 
at least a large portion of the burden 
borne by society lies in a wholesale 
education of the community as to the 
relation of the social life and the social 
evils, so-called. Organizations for the 
betterment of the masses, churches, 
schools, labor unions, women's clubs, 
Y, M.C. A's, and medical societies must 
unite in a widespread campaign for 
public enlightenment upon the prob- 
lems that are generally termed the sex- 
problems. Not the least of the work 
of education must be in the hands of 
the physicians who at present are in 
possession of the most information up- 
on the subject, at least in its physical 
aspects. The responsibility for the 
present general ignorance about the en- 
tire sex-problem must be placed upon 
society as a whole that has been coun- 

7 



Sex Education 

tenancing a double standard of morality 
and refusing to listen to the words of 
those who have sought to show its 
error. 

In the evolution of the character of 
a child two large influences are involv- 
ed: that of the home and that of the 
companionships of childhood. While 
many encroachments upon family re- 
sponsibilities are daily occurring, in 
the last analysis the parents are held 
accountable for the physical, mental, 
and moral development of their chil- 
dren. Parents are held responsible for 
failure to provide adequate food, cloth- 
ing, or shelter; they are compelled to 
give their children an education; the 
social and moral conduct of their chil- 
dren arises in large measure from par- 
ental training. 

In the accumulation of information 
regarding sex, the home as a factor has 
unfortunately been almost negligible. 
8 



Introduction 

Parental timidity, or shall I say cow- 
ardice, has made it difficult for parents 
to impart the information regarding 
reproduction or even the differences of 
the sexes to their children. An unintelli- 
gent false modesty has placed the taboo 
on all references to the development of 
the emotional and physical side of sex 
as it seeks for expression at various 
times in the period of life from infancy 
to adolescence. A traditional sense of 
horror that originated in the ancient 
days when the genital organs were 
termed the "pudenda" still pervades the 
home and parents regard a sacred func- 
tion as too shameful to be mentioned 
within the range of hearing of their 
offspring. It is far easier to be false 
to childhood than to tradition. 

The average child of to-day secures 
garbled, befuddled, vulgar ideas that 
he prizes so highly, but dares not even 
dream of in the vicinity of his parents. 

9 



Sex Education 

From his associates at school, from ser- 
vants, chauffeurs, gangsters on the 
streets or from the atrocious booklets 
issued by charlatans, that have been 
placed in his hands the child se- 
cures those false impressions that he 
hesitates to talk over with his par- 
ents. The home of to-day is large- 
ly responsible for the weakness of in- 
struction with reference to the develop- 
ment of the physiology of sex and the 
relation of the individuals to the gene- 
rations unborn. 

Parents must come to realize that 
sex is at the basis of a proper apprecia- 
tion of many phases of life. The idea 
of creation as a religious concept is es- 
sentially a sex problem. Biblical lit- 
erature abounds in allusions to sexual 
questions that can be appreciated only 
by the best informed readers. "Be 
fruitful and multiply" needs as much 
explanation as the 7th Commandment. 
10 



Introduction 

Mythology cannot be read and under- 
stood by the uninformed. Chivalry de- 
mands sex knowledge for its compre- 
hension. Literature, from the Aneid 
or the Canterbury Tales to Balzac, 
Tolstoy, Ibsen and Sudermann, or the 
novelists whose names are not to be 
handed down to posterity but whose 
works are for the multitude of to-day, 
centers about the relations of the sexes. 
From before Plautus, Terence and 
Sophocles through the days of Shakes- 
peare, Milton and Goethe to the mod- 
ern dramatists there is the constant ex- 
pression of that phase of life that is so 
frequently termed the human interest. 
From the Nibelung's Ring to Pelleas 
and Melisande, an initiation into the 
laws of sex is essential in order to intel- 
ligently interpret the operas. Poetry, 
art, painting and sculpture supply nu- 
merous themes that have arisen from 
the depths of sex experience. All this 
ii 



Sex Education 

parents know and still they close their 
eyes and refuse to see the light or to 
illumine the path for their children. 
Parents have a tremendous responsi- 
bility to their children and no less a re- 
sponsibility to society. Parental pro- 
tection is lost in this field of education, 
where the relation between parent and 
child should be the closest. There is 
a system of forced and artificial ac- 
quisition of education through the pub- 
lic schools without the knowledge that 
permits the appreciation of the basic 
truths underlying life itself. Forsooth, 
there is not a word less understood than 
"parent". 

When should parental instruction 
begin? When the child first expresses 
a desire to know as evidenced by a ques- 
tion. At three years, or four or five, 
whatever the age may be that finds the 
youngster seeking information from the 
parent, from whom all other know- 
12 



Introduction 

ledge has been gotten for the asking. 
Whence comes the baby? What a nat- 
ural query. The usual answer is 
most unnatural, for the parent usually 
fails to tell the truth, if any attempt 
is made to reply in terms other than to 
tell the child to "run away as mother is 
very busy." 

Let the truth be told in all definite- 
ness. A child who seeks the light must 
not be blinded. The desire for informa- 
tion is normal. Curiosity is awakening 
intelligence. The child who asks no 
questions is mentally deficient. In the 
inexperience of childhood all subjects 
have equal rank. Sex consciousness is 
not awakened and the whole truth is 
the child's right. An evasive answer, 
a half truth, or a lie is more dangerous 
than a frank statement of the truth 
couched in terms and phrases intelli- 
gible to the child mind. The very 
limitations of a child's vocabulary safe- 

13 



Sex Education 

guard the problems from all pernici- 
ous suggestiveness. The parental re- 
sponsibility for exacting honesty and 
truthfulness from children involves the 
manifestation of the same virtues on 
the part of the parents toward the 
children. 

If parents do not answer the queries 
of their children the questions will not 
go unanswered even though they may 
not be asked again of the parents. The 
child sooner or later takes the unan- 
swered question to some one who will 
answer it, even though the informant is 
only a playmate who knows little more 
about the matter. The first break in 
the confidence that should exist is thus 
easily made. 

Sane parenthood merely requires 
honesty, available information, and a 
willingness to serve as an intelligent 
supervisor of the developing mind of 

H 



Introduction 

the evergrowing child from infancy to 
maturity. 

Honesty to the child is requisite, even 
during the early years of infancy and 
childhood. As the boy acquires his 
knowledge by asking questions from his 
parents, there must be no line drawn 
when the boy makes inquiry as to the 
origin of life or as to the physical dif- 
ferences between the sexes. The reason 
that so many parents have recourse to 
senseless fabrication is due to the fact 
that the child's question is interpreted 
as a very serious one by the adult con- 
sciousness instead of appreciating that 
it is merely the simple query of an un- 
developed and seeking mind. Once 
the parent realizes that the child mind 
is pure, and may be kept clean by an- 
swering the questions honestly himself, 
rather than by driving the child away 
to others for the information that is de- 
sired, the more quickly will he cast off 

15 



Sex Education 

his false modesty, or timidity, and an- 
swer the child in honesty and truth. 
The question will be settled for the 
time being at the period of life that 
finds the child inquiring. At times an 
evasive or false answer drives the child 
to seek more light, and then the parent 
is driven back to another falsehood un- 
til finally the child mind grasps the in- 
consistencies of the replies given upon 
various occasions or realizes that the 
parent does not desire to discuss such 
questions any more. The sense of se- 
crecy arises and then the child feels 
ashamed of the subject and cannot 
bring itself to talk frankly with the 
parent. The opportunity of the child's 
life has been lost; henceforth the child 
must be left to its own devices to ascer- 
tain the facts that he wishes to learn, 
from the playmates, from the gang- 
mates, from pornographic writings, 
from the charlatan's fear-instilling 
16 



Introduction 

booklet, from misinterpreted dictionary 
definitions, from posters, lying adver- 
tisements, from vicious associates, from 
cruel traditions and unholy advice, 
and from reading forbidden books and 
seeing forbidden plays. 

Too frequently one hears of the ad- 
visability of teaching sex hygiene at pu- 
berty. This is too late to begin. The 
average child of the city has the major 
part of his sex information, or rather 
misinformation, long before puberty. 
To wait for this time is to make the 
instruction more difficult, because the 
parent who has never spoken to his 
child regarding the origin of life before 
puberty scarcely ever can summon up 
sufficient courage to broach the subject 
at this time, when the child has also 
had created the barrier of shame. It 
is merely a siren's call of fear that bids 
parents delude themselves into think- 
ing they will gladly reveal the mys- 

17 



Sex Education 

tenes of life at the approach of pu- 
berty. During the early inquiring 
years of childhood only the parent feels 
shame. In the reticent days of puberty 
the barrier exists in parent and child 
and the approach to sex topics is doubly 
difficult. The child, whose parents 
have denied it honest teaching, has be- 
come steeped in harmful sex traditions 
that a suddenly awakened parental 
conscience can face with difficulty. In 
addition, the problem is more difficult 
because it is necessary to clear the 
child's mind of the erroneous ideas be- 
fore it is possible to establish the 
weighty truths that are to be imparted. 
Innocence and ignorance are not the 
same. The so-called innocent child of 
twelve years of age is well versed in 
sex lore. The training in sex hygiene 
must be begun at the earliest possible 
age. Certain constructive features of 
education must be carried on all the 
18 



Introduction 

time in an unostentatious manner with 
a view to gradually inculcating the ba- 
sic principles that in themselves con- 
stitute prominent factors in sex hy- 
giene. The training is to cover a life- 
time, and is only to be accentuated as 
a special part of the child's education 
when some particular occasion arises 
that appears to warrant a direct dis- 
cussion of some phase of the subject 
for the purpose of correcting an erro- 
neous idea, or for the purpose of pro- 
tecting the child from an apparently 
impending indiscretion. The crux of 
the problem lies not in the few lectures 
that are at times suggested for the high 
schools and the colleges. Character is 
too far developed at this age and habits 
for good or for bad are well estab- 
lished; in fact irretrievable harm may 
already have befallen the child. The 
education must be started at the ear- 
liest opportunity. 

19 



Sex Education 

Despite the general increase in the 
average of school education, the par- 
ticular aspects of hygiene that are most 
essential for the advancement of the 
race welfare are neglected. Physical 
education is receiving considerable at- 
tention in public school systems, but 
the stress is too often placed upon non- 
educational phases. In all the teach- 
ing of hygiene that at present is found 
described in published curricula it is 
difficult to seize upon any references 
to sex hygiene in the elementary 
schools. This very important phase of 
education occupies no place in the 
schools. The entire subject is for the 
most part tabooed, as in the average 
home, because of ignorance of its im- 
portance, traditional timidity, and lack 
of sufficient information as to the best 
time and methods for imparting the 
necessary information to the children. 

The public school, however, has long 



Introduction 

been urged as the proper place at 
which to have the instruction impart- 
ed. As far as elementary schools are 
concerned I believe this is an error, 
as the subject can be better handled by 
the individual parent for the individ- 
ual child. The average teacher of 
to-day is not fitted to teach the subject. 
The teacher too has grown up in the 
midst of this stultifying system of sub- 
merging all references to sex as if ana- 
thema. To be able to teach sex hy- 
giene teachers require teaching, train- 
ing, and enlightenment. The parents 
solve the problem of natural and con- 
tinued responsibility; the teachers con- 
stitute a problem of artificial and often 
irresponsive responsibility so common 
among transitory public servants. The 
age variations in a single grade, the 
variations in mentality, the difference 
in sex precocity, not to mention sex ex- 
perience, make the teaching of sex hy- 
21 



Sex Education 

giene a very difficult problem for the 
school, even though the instruction is 
given to children of each sex separately 
by a teacher of the same sex. The 
function of the school is to give chil- 
dren such instruction as can not be im- 
parted at the home, but instruction in 
sex hygiene is naturally a part of home 
training although it represents a large- 
ly untried field of parental endeavor. 

The school may be of assistance in 
instructing parents how to give the 
teachings to their children or in spe- 
cial cases at the request of the parents 
a teacher might take up the questions 
involved with individual children. As 
class instruction it seems to be unde- 
sirable. The school, by giving ade- 
quate teaching in general hygiene and 
by affording an opportunity for ac- 
quiring some fundamental training 
in biology, will be doing its share in 
making possible intelligent training as 
22 



Introduction 

to the laws of sex as they must be inter- 
preted at puberty and thereafter. The 
entire teaching must be characterized 
by frankness and honesty. A part of 
the time now given to the question of 
alcohol would be spent to far greater 
advantage if devoted to the demonstra- 
tion of the development of plants and 
animals in accordance with the biolog- 
ical principles involved. Only with 
trained teachers and adequate text- 
books will this become possible and 
then probably only in the highest grade 
or in the secondary schools. 

And so I am harking back to the 
home and to the parents. Honesty and 
frankness, courage and conviction, and 
the goal of instruction is attainable. 
The purpose of such teaching in the 
home is to establish an intellectual 
morality, not founded upon fear but 
upon a correct conception as to the re- 
lations of the sexes and the necessity of 

23 



Sex Education 

personal purity for the advancement 
of the human race. 

Many will promptly say knowledge 
will not bring about all this. Possibly 
not; but it is worth a trial. At least, 
parents will be in a position to say that 
they have attempted to help their chil- 
dren develop along the proper lines 
that make for sex purity. 

Fathers and mothers are equally re- 
sponsible for the education of their 
children. During the early years of a 
boy's life the influence of the mother 
is paramount, because of the greater 
time spent in association with her. The 
responsibility of the father is in no way 
lessened, however, on this account. 
From the boy's infancy the father must 
assume his place as a teacher. If, 
with the training in the homes, the so- 
cial causes that go to make the great 
temptation are gradually obliterated, I 
am optimistic enough to believe that 
24 



Introduction 

the physical, mental, and moral havoc 
that now besets us on all sides will be 
very largely eliminated. Ignorance of 
sex responsibilities and the resultant 
dangers to the community must be 
eradicated. As a result of an ex- 
perience covering several years iii 
the actual work of giving instruction 
in sex problems to classes of so-called 
tenement house mothers of various na- 
tionalities, to mothers and fathers of 
children in New York schools, to so- 
cial workers, to classes of boys in 
groups varying in age from nine to 
twenty-one, and to school teachers, my 
plan of instruction has been evolved 
along practical lines. 

For the purpose of convenience I 
have set three age periods for which 
different types of sex instruction must 
be given in order to secure the best re- 
sults. First, comes the age of mythol- 
ogy; second, the age of chivalry; third, 

25 



Sex Education 

the age of civic awakening. Beginning 
with the child at its earliest age, a plan 
of sex education may be followed that 
will result in the maintenance of the 
confidences of the child and the incul- 
cation of the sex ideals that can be best 
established through rational sex in- 
struction continuing over the entire life 
of the child. 



26 



THE AGE OF MYTHOLOGY 



THE AGE OF MYTHOLOGY 



THE age of mythology constitutes 
that period of child-life that is 
particularly keen in imagination. 
It represents the period when the witch 
and the fairy, Haensel and Gretel, the 
giant and the dwarf, the goblins and 
the elves, make the little eyes grow big 
with astonishment and wonder. Rag- 
gylug and all the animal creations are 
living in the child domain. The child 
world is peopled with strange crea- 
tures that are most real. Mentally, the 
fairy tale, the romance, the animal 
story, and nature wonders supply the 
best intellectual pabulum. It is the 
wonder age, and question follows ques- 
tion in the pursuit of information. At 
this time the child is first asking the 
29 



Sex Education 

parent for light as to the differences 
between boys and girls and where the 
baby comes from, and at the same time 
is prattling about the mother cat and 
the baby cats or the kittens. The main 
factor necessary for sex instruction at 
this age is the determination of the pa- 
rent to answer honestly every question 
that is asked by the child, for at this 
age the child has all to learn. Timidity 
must give way to determining respon- 
sibility. The shackles of parental tra- 
ditions are ready to be placed upon the 
parents who hesitate to keep faith with 
their children. To exact honesty of 
children and to give them falsehoods 
when truth is sought is an indefensible 
double standard for truthfulness. 

In no uncertain terms parents teach 
cleanliness, table etiquette, and the 
routine hygiene so essential to daily 
health and comfort. There should be 
no hesitation in frankly answering the 

30 



The Age of Chivalry 

queries of the developing child. Giv- 
ing vague or evasive answers only puts 
off the hour of combat. A correct 
start having been made, there will 
never again be any hesitation or em- 
barrassment on the part of the parent — 
the child will not feel confused or em- 
barrassed unless the parent creates such 
a state of mind through a discipline 
that makes the child self-conscious. 
The second necessity is the possession 
of some fundamental facts that may be 
interpreted to the child through the 
medium of story or imaginative tale. 
The child easily learns the relation be- 
tween the baby and mother. The 
mother dog and the father dog, the 
cow and the calf, the horse and the 
mare and the foal, the lion, the lioness 
and the cub ; the relation of the father, 
mother and baby soon come to be dis- 
tinct concepts of the child. The sec- 
ond idea that is readily absorbed is the 

3i 



Sex Education 

egg, and the chick that comes there- 
from, and the mother hen that laid the 
egg. The dependence of life upon the 
egg seems a large problem for the child 
to solve, but the youngsters grasp it 
easily. The few small eggs in the nest, 
tenderly protected by the anxious 
mother bird, while the chattering fath- 
er bird circles about protectingly, soon 
tell of the life they contain. And 
when the child sees the shattered shell 
and the hungry fledgelings he has 
grasped a biological truth without 
realizing that it has any relation to his 
own origin and development. The 
third step to be taken is to show the 
sex organization of plants. The plant- 
ing of a little oats or grass seed will 
serve for the first lesson. The little 
green shoots are called the baby oats, 
and the idea of the baby plant coming 
from a seed is implanted upon the fer- 
tile child mind. It is but a short step 
32 



The Age of Mythology 

to show the child the mother plant, 
whence came the seed. If the casual 
suggestion be made that the mother 
oats should be proud of such splendid 
babies there is no opposition by the 
child mind. The identity of the seed 
and the egg as the source of life, once 
appreciated, there is a well established 
foundation for teaching the origin of 
human life. 

As occasions arise, particularly in 
the spring time, the attention of the 
child may be directed to the de- 
velopmental phenomena as they oc- 
cur in Nature. The necessity for 
warmth, time, and care in the growth 
of plants and animals is everywhere 
evident. To go a step further, one can 
teach the child about the boys and girls 
that live together within the walls 
made of petals. The masculine nature 
of the stamens and the essential femi- 
ninity of the pistils can be easily ex- 

33 



Sex Education 

plained in terms of plays and games 
that the child knows. The modes of 
transference of the pollen and the fer- 
tilization of the seed that may be shown 
always to be in the female part of the 
flower lays an excellent foundation for 
the expansion of the sexual themes 
through the years to come. 

It must not be imagined that this 
brief suggestion is to be the work of a 
day. It must not be forced, but should 
grow day by day, and merely for the 
purpose of enlightening the child with- 
out creating any morbid feelings or a 
craving for unnatural knowledge. 

The wholesome instruction as to the 
origin of life should be instilled before 
sex consciousness with its barriers of 
timidity and shame makes the effort 
Herculean. 

The purpose of sex education is es- 
sentially protective. To secure the 
maximum prophylactic efficiency the 

34 



The Age of Mythology 

foundation teaching must be sunk into 
the child's mentality before the sex 
characteristics seek expression. The 
establishment of ideals is difficult with- 
out an adequate knowledge of the 
facts. Mystery must be eliminated — 
for mystery breeds an insatiate curi- 
osity which in time may become mor- 
bid. Enlightenment by parents as to the 
evolution of life in terms of familiar 
objects and in words that the child can 
understand forestalls the vulgarity and 
obscenity of the usual sex educators — 
companions, servants, and gangsters. 

If it is difficult to answer a question 
propounded, there is every reason for 
temporizing but not with the purpose 
of finality. If time be lacking, for 
questions frequently arise at inoppor- 
tune moments, it is sensible to postpone 
the answer for a more propitious time. 
The child must not be put aside with 

35 



Sex Education 

"Mother is too busy" or "Run away 
and play" or "Don't bother me with 
your everlasting questions." If the 
moment is inopportune merely tell the 
child that the question will be answer- 
ed and then appoint a time at which 
the truthful answer will be given. If 
necessary, parents should take the op- 
portunity to secure the information 
they require from books, friends, 
teachers, pastor, or physician. The 
information should be procured and 
the appointment should not be forgot- 
ten in the stress of shopping, calls, 
work, or pleasure. 

The days of the taboo are no longer 
here but the parental fears still hark 
back to the days when the organs of 
generation were termed the "pudenda." 
The truth will out and parents should 
waive their own weaknesses in the de- 
sire to give their children more efTec- 

36 



The Age of Mythology 

tive sex training than they received 
during childhood. The fear of a child's 
innocent question seems the evidence of 
ignorance. The potential inhibiting 
faculty resides in the question that has 
not been asked and strange to relate 
may never be asked. The child rarely 
seeks the details that throng the pa- 
rent's quaking mind. The personal 
side of the origin of life triumphs over 
the impersonal for the time being and 
bids lips be closed and tongues silent. 
The question as to whence, how, or 
why may be naturally suggested by the 
arrival of a litter of domestic pets but 
there is less hesitancy in approaching 
this question than if the occasion for 
the interrogation should be the advent 
of a baby brother or sister. Fortunate 
is the parent who takes advantage of 
the blessed opportunity to answer 
truthfully the question as to the origin 
of a baby. 

37 



Sex Education 

"Take heed of this small child of earth; 

He is great; he hath within him God most high, 
Children before their fleshly birth, 

Are lights alive in the blue sky.'' 

If parents could lapse into poetry 
like Swinburne their tales might have 
some literary merit. Falsity, crudity, 
vulgarity characterize the foolish tales 
told the children when the parent is 
compelled to answer the child who 
wants to know the origin of life. 

Knowing the training of her child, 
conscious of the limitations of its ex- 
periences and vocabulary, the mother 
can easily give a fairy tale that is truth 
itself dressed in childlike simplicity. 
It is possible to give a tale to children 
under eight years of age that is true, 
anatomically, physiologically and bio- 
logically. The mother is more likely 
to have the responsibility of answering 
questions relating to sex problems than 
is the father, who for the most part 

38 



The Age of Mythology 

joins his family at night and leaves 
early in the morning. 

If the child asks its mother where 
the baby came from it is entitled to the 
answer, properly given, strange though 
it may seem. The age of mythology 
lacks facts and is devoid of strict judg- 
ments. 

As a suggestion to mothers a skele- 
ton fairy tale is often welcome. It must 
be remembered, however, that every 
child requires the dressing of the facts 
to be in harmony with its mentality, 
vocabulary and experience. The even- 
ing is a very favorable time for dis- 
cussing sex problems at this age as sleep 
soon quiets the youngster and there is 
little time for focussing attention up- 
on the subject discussed. In many 
ways, too, infantile memories are short. 

With the child upon her lap, cod- 
dled at the hour of the lullaby, there 
comes a sense of oneness and affection 

39 



Sex Education 

that means "flesh of my flesh and blood 
of my blood." The closeness of con- 
tact puts a touch of sacredness to the 
maternal story that even a child can 
feel. It is mother's story and though 
all the other little girls and boys deride 
and scorn, mother's story is the best and 
strongest after all. 

At this period of life how dearly a 
child enjoys a secret! It is well to im- 
press upon the child the idea that 
mother is going to tell a secret, not to 
create a mystery but to encourage the 
child to speak of it to its mother 
instead of talking to children, servants, 
or strangers. Invite the trust and con- 
fidence of the child and permit it to 
enjoy the secret of life with mother. 

A final suggestion may not be amiss. 

A dim, shaded light gives the mystic 

atmosphere so necessary for unveiling 

the word picture of creation. And 

40 



The Age of Mythology 

forsooth many tongues will be loosened 
in the gloaming that would fail in ut- 
terance if the child could see the ma- 
ternal countenance. 

And now, my dear, I shall tell you 
the answer to the question you asked 
this morning. Mother always keeps 
her promises. And this is to be our se- 
cret. We shall tell no one — not even — 
(playmates, nurse, pet, etc.). And 
any time you want to know more about 
our secret come to mother. You asked 
me where brother came from. It is a 
fine story. There was a teeny, tiny egg^ 
so small that you could hardly see it. 
And there was a very small room, a 
funny little room — you never saw such 
a room ; it was a room that could grow. 
Did you ever see a room that could 
grow? And the teeny, tiny egg was in 
this little room. Then the egg began 
to grow and — what do you think? The 
room grew larger and larger. Very 

4 1 



Sex Education 

soon the room could not grow any 
larger so it stopped growing. But 
there was something in the egg that 
wanted to grow larger — so what do you 
think happened? The door of the 
room opened — and the egg broke — and 
out of the egg through the door came 
The Baby. 

From the worldly wiseman point of 
view this tale may appear inadequate 
and woefully suggestive of dangerous 
questions. Any story told would give 
rise to questions unless the curiosity of 
the child had been satisfied. Occa- 
sionally a youngster does want to know 
the location of the room. It suffices 
to state that mother thinks so much of 
the little egg and the baby that is to 
grow from it that she keeps it under 
her heart. 

Question after question may surge 
through the adult consciousness in the 
light of mature knowledge and experi- 
42 



The Age of Mythology 

ence, but they are not in normal chil- 
dren's minds. Following the line of 
truth, however, any question may be 
answered if the mother endeavors to 
live up to high educative ideals. 

By filtering the information through 
the parents there is a constant adjust- 
ment of the facts to the child's under- 
standing. At an opportune moment it 
is desirable to show that all life has its 
origin in parents. Numerous illustra- 
tions may be selected from the animal 
and vegetable kingdoms. The life his- 
tory of a flower, a tree, a chicken, a 
fish, a dog affords numerous stories 
that may be told to a child from three 
to ten years of age to show the biologi- 
cal truths that are essential to the ap- 
preciation of the wonders of the origin 
of life. Mere stories based upon such 
natural phenomena give ample play 
for the youthful imagination without 
being in the least suggestive. Imagina- 

43 



Sex Education 

tion is given play but facts do not con- 
trovert it. The child does not get 
trimmings and pickings but gets the 
whole sex teaching from a single point 
of view — the education of the child. 

Lest it be misunderstood, it is well 
to reiterate that the basic training in 
natural history is to be part of the gen- 
eral plan of education and should not 
await the queries of the child. The de- 
velopment of plants and animals is to 
be explained as naturally as telling 
about the sun or moon or stars. The 
specific application of the facts to hu- 
man life need be related during the age 
of mythology, only when the child 
raises the question. 

The necessity of cleanliness in the 
care of the genitalia must be early in- 
culcated, as part of the general hy- 
giene. The one who bathes the baby 
should give particular attention to this 
part of the body. The source of much 

44 



The Age of Mythology 

of the irritation leading to masturba- 
tion arises from the neglect of genital 
hygiene. The daily bath should be 
pleasing, cool and diverting, and pro- 
longed irritation, even for purpose of 
cleansing, should be avoided particu- 
larly among boys. To protect children 
from personal vices that are not un- 
common in infancy circumcision may 
be essential. 

In this connection the hygiene of 
sleeping deserves more than passing 
attention. Sleeping on the back in a 
cool room, with hands outside of the 
covers, gives the greatest protection 
from self abuse. The child should be 
thoroughly tired before going to bed 
so that he will immediately go to sleep. 
Rising should quickly follow awaken- 
ing. The night clothes should be 
loosely fitting and not of an irritating 
material. The bed covering should be 
warm, but not too heavy. The mat- 

45 



Sex Education 

tress should be made of hair. Feather 
beds are to be avoided as they over- 
heat the body and do not tend to lessen 
irritation of the genital organs. 

Reading exciting stories or playing 
violent games just before going to bed 
should be interdicted. The child should 
go to bed comfortably tired and not 
with imagination aflame. He should 
be willing to fall asleep and not seek 
to struggle to keep awake. A warm 
bath before bed time if not too soon 
after supper is frequently of service 
to secure the desired relaxation neces- 
sary for slumber. 

Masturbation may occur during in- 
fancy as a result of genital irritation. 
Tight clothing, uncleanliness, constipa- 
tion, worms or some other local cause 
may give rise to irritation directing 
the child's attention to the genital or- 
gans. Friction by hand or thigh to re- 
lieve the irritation results and unless 

4 6 



The Age of Mythology 

the cause be discovered and removed 
the habit may be developed. The dan- 
gers to the child at this period are 
purely physical and are spent upon the 
nervous system. Prompt restraint and 
attention to the hygienic order of the 
child life coupled with the removal of 
the physical factors will soon correct 
the condition before any harm ensues. 

Any directions to the growing child 
at this period for the purpose of pre- 
venting the continuance of mechanical 
irritation of these parts should be given 
in as simple and direct a manner as 
advice to brush the teeth or wash the 
hands. The child at this age does not 
usually bathe itself free from super- 
vision, and thus adequate directive in- 
struction may be imparted. 

The punishment of the child for 
this habit must be very wisely chosen 
lest the child be driven to practice the 
habit only in private, leading the pa- 

47 



Sex Education 

rent to believe that the fault no longer 
exists. 

By careful direction during infancy 
and hygienic training during early 
childhood the habit may be obviated 
at least until puberty occurs. 



4 8 



THE AGE OF CHIVALRY 



II 

THE AGE OF CHIVALRY 



GRADUALLY the child out- 
grows the age of mythology and 
enters the age of chivalry. There 
is no sharp line of demarcation of the 
two periods, nor can any age be given 
when the transition occurs. The age 
of chivalry really begins as a prepu- 
bertal period. For purposes of con- 
venience one may regard it as embra- 
cing the years from eight to fifteen 
years. Each child, however, is a law 
unto himself and the specific period of 
its life that represents the age of chiv- 
alry can only be determined by noting 
the physical and psychological devel- 
opment of the particular child. 

The child's body is beginning to take 
on new growth, the sexual functions 

5i 



Sex Education 

are beginning to expand, the emotional 
side is unfolding at a very rapid pace. 
It is the glorious age of self-apprecia- 
tion and a time when the child has the 
largest impulses for getting out to help 
in the work of the world, but can 
merely dream. The actual expression 
of the sexual development may be 
marked by the intensification of affec- 
tion for the family. Mother, sister and 
brother are terms that take on a fuller 
meaning. It is the time when the boy 
thinks that he really is a man, when his 
mother asks him to take her around the 
corner at seven o'clock in the evening 
as her protector. He is a sort of hero 
seeking worlds to conquer. The blood 
begins to surge through his head at the 
reference to one of his feminine school- 
mates. The society of girls is desired, 
their company is sought, and the party 
days are at hand with their dangerous 
period of amorous games. 

52 



The Age of Chivalry 

The girls are blossoming out into 
rounded form and their thoughts, too, 
are expanding. This is the time of "the 
lady bountiful." The desire to be- 
come a trained nurse, to enter a nun- 
nery, to found an institution for the 
salvation of unregenerate felines, or to 
be possessed of untold wealth for the 
betterment of mankind fills the day 
with joy. It is the age of the romantic 
walk and the day of looking with rap- 
turous glances at the handsome fea- 
tures of the matinee idol, whose likeness 
graces the chiffoniere. It is the time 
when competition in the battle for fav- 
ors manifests itself and the parent is 
accused of not understanding the 
child's feelings or even life. 

It is the day of the most dangerous 
gang life for boys and girls. The de- 
sire for independence, the recognition 
of sex class feeling, the old reticence on 
the part of parents to talk on the prob- 

53 



Sex Education 

lems of puberty make the sources of 
information outside of the home. Under 
a system of graduated instruction this 
period of chivalry has no terrors for 
the parent. Conversation is frank and 
confidence is retained and the child is 
protected from the most malicious in- 
fluences that are surrounding it at this 
time of life. The emotional character- 
istics of the individual child are 
watched and guided through the mazes 
of conflicting sensations that attack the 
child at puberty. The knowledge of 
plants and animals that has been ac- 
quired through observation or by 
school teaching is all of use in explain- 
ing the natural functional phenomena 
that slowly transform the more or less 
sexless child into a creature that is sex 
conscious and views himself as the pa- 
rents' equal. No attempt is to be made 
to develop a sexual and sensual child. 
The light that is shed upon the sex 

54 



The Age of Chivalry 

problems in the home banishes the 
foulness of mind that is engendered by 
the looseness and lack of intelligent 
handling of the questions at the present 
time. 

A strong appeal can be made upon 
the chivalric side of child nature. The 
child can well be made to understand 
pride in family and self-respect as fac- 
tors that are to be considered in the 
daily conduct of one sex toward the op- 
posite sex. The necessity of personal 
cleanliness and the healthfulness of ex- 
ercise and outdoor sports must be ac- 
centuated. The pernicious influence of 
smutty stories, lascivious literature, 
immodest attire and vulgar dancing de- 
mand especial attention without laying 
any stress upon the subjects, so as to 
give them undue prominence as factors 
in the child's life. Great caution is re- 
quired to avoid the serious danger 
of arousing morbid desires or stimula- 

55 



Sex Education 

ting latent feelings that have not yet 
forced themselves upon consciousness. 

The age of puberty is one of the most 
important for the guiding influence of 
the father. The boy begins to take on 
the physical features of manhood. His 
emotional life is increasing by leaps 
and bounds. The numerous struggles 
against sexual crises may finally result 
in his undoing. It is in a sense the 
critical period in his sex development. 
Emotionalism and sex feeling crowd 
his will into deep and dangerous places. 
The traditions of the gang bid him 
shake off the ties of apron strings and 
be a man, implying that sex experi- 
ence is essential to his health. 

Masturbation is almost a universal 
habit at this age. It is in a sense the ex- 
pression of a normal curiosity as to the 
function of the genital organs. The 
spirit of investigation gives rise to the 
initial experience and it is not an evi- 

56 



The Age of Chivalry 

dence of degeneracy or inherent vici 
ousness. The continuance of this prac- 
tice depends upon the strength of the 
boy's will and his understanding that 
self-abuse is a potent factor in destroy- 
ing his physical, mental, and moral 
comfort. To pass from self-abuse to the 
abuse of one of the feminine sex is a 
short step when the pressure of the gang 
is behind the boy and there is no guid- 
ing hand to restrain him. It is regret- 
table that there are fathers who at this 
serious time of indecision feel impel- 
led to tell the boy that sexual inter- 
course is necessary to his well-being. 
Such advice is as pernicious as untrue. 
The American Medical Association 
representing the consensus of medical 
opinion in the United States, has re- 
peatedly by resolution repudiated the 
false doctrine that sexual continence 
is incompatible with health. The 
father who counsels his son to worship 

57 



Sex Education 

at the shrine of Venus is assuming a 
tremendous responsibility for the phy- 
sical welfare of his boy. He is a 
greater source of danger to his son and 
to the community than the timid pa- 
rent who does not dare to broach the 
subject to his child whom he regards 
most innocent. Oh, the blindness of 
fathers who do not recall their own 
boyhood and the extent of their sex 
information after the age of thirteen 
years! As a caution to such men, let 
it be remembered that ignorance and 
innocence are not equivalents. The 
boys of the cities are for the most part 
wise in their ignorance before puberty 
is well under way. 

Politeness and courtesy to the fe- 
male sex are of value in developing 
the sense of protection that every boy 
should possess with reference to his 
female friends, as well as to his sisters. 
At a later period it is even desirable 

58 



The Age of Chivalry 

to give the boys some definite ideas re- 
garding the occurrence of a periodic 
variation in the physiological func- 
tions of the female sex. Lyttleton 
places considerable importance upon 
the value of explaining to boys the ex- 
act nature of maternity in its personal 
phases. Love and reverence of mother- 
hood are enhanced through an early 
appreciation of the trials of gestation 
and the pain of parturition. "Mother" 
means more to the child who under- 
stands the meaning of "blood of my 
blood and flesh of my flesh." It is far 
better to have this sort of information 
come in a natural manner from the 
father, than to have it acquired from 
the street, or from pornographic litera- 
ture. Needless to say, information of 
this character may be reserved until 
boys have assumed some part of their 
sex characteristics. An understanding 
of the physiology of the opposite sex 

59 



Sex Education 

will be of immense value in protecting 
the girls at a time when they most need 
it. 

Because of the development of the 
emotional side of the boy's character, 
the period of puberty is warm and love 
is young and restless within him. It 
is quite noticeable, however, that there 
is an unusual appreciation of the fam- 
ily ties at this time. To call upon the 
love for mother and for sisters, as well 
as the respect for the female relatives, 
by making the son's standard of con- 
duct toward other girls the same as he 
would exact from other boys toward 
the girls in his own family is a power- 
ful incentive to self-control and sexual 
restraint. In fact the playing of amor- 
ous games and the greenness of Love's 
springtime lead to poisoned wells of 
joy for the impulsive, untaught youth 
with red blood pulsating through every 
artery. The development of sex is es- 
60 



The Age of Chivalry 

sentially selfish unless there be wise 
parental direction. The development 
of self-control from altruistic motives 
requires guidance. The inhibition of 
sexual impulses leading to selfish 
pleasures is difficult unless there be de- 
veloped a high-motived self-possession. 
It is hard for boys and girls to learn 
that "voluntary obedience is the price 
of happiness" for others besides them- 
selves. 

Early in the prepubertal period the 
father must begin to assume, if he has 
not already done so, some of the nature 
of a boy's friend in addition to his pa- 
rental relations. To keep the confidence 
of his boy he must be an equal rather 
than a superior in matters pertaining 
to sex hygiene. It is at this time that 
gang life begins to get a hold on the boy 
and the precarious mode of sex educa- 
tion is taking place. Here again frank- 
ness and honesty are absolutely essen- 
6n 



Sex Education 

tial. Spontaneous questions are to be 
answered freely. If necessary it is 
often wise to elicit questions by judi- 
cious conversation when in play with 
the boy or on a jaunt with him. The 
reticence of puberty must be forestall- 
ed through continued confidences. The 
free expression of child nature must be 
fostered. The mask of purity must not 
serve to conceal low desires and sub- 
merged passions. The sensitive mind 
of the child must be exposed to the 
light of parental teachings until the 
image of a high motive is photographed 
thereon. "Self-knowledge and self- 
judgment prepare the way for self-di- 
rection." The knowledge of self must 
be instilled carefully and thoroughly 
that there may be conscious self-judg- 
ment and voluntary self-direction to- 
ward a higher plane of action than is 
represented by the ignorant, fearing 
youth who is regarded as continent 
62 



The Age of Chivalry 

though his every thought is far from 
chaste. 

Instruction in the care of the genital 
organs can readily be expanded to 
cover in part the necessity for this care. 
In other words the functions of the sex 
organs may be alluded to in the course 
of friendly parental conversation as the 
boy approaches puberty. It is also a 
piece of wisdom for the father to fore- 
stall outside influences as much as pos- 
sible by encouraging his son to bring 
all his questions to him rather than to 
have him imbibe the stream of filthy in- 
formation that is available in other 
channels. 

During the period of puberty it is 
a duty of the father to instruct his son 
in the real purposes of his sex organs. 
'As a wise counsellor and friend he will 
give all the necessary facts to protect 
his son from yielding to impulses the 
consequences of which have not yet 

63 



Sex Education 

sunk into his consciousness. The boy 
must be told frankly the functions of 
his testicles and his penis in terms that 
are free from the unpleasant sugges- 
tions that cluster about the careless ter- 
minology of the street and the brothel. 
The subject of the interrelation of per- 
sonal cleanliness and the family health 
may advisedly be dwelt upon. 

The father may, with a sense of a duty 
to perform, explain the harmfulness of 
the seminal emissions that are prone to 
occur at this age. This caution is es- 
pecially required in the face of the tre- 
mendous amount of quack literature 
that assails his eyes in pamphlet form 
or through the outraged columns of the 
public press. The boy should be taught 
that night emissions are normal, and 
simply indicate that Nature is relieving 
his body in a natural manner of a sur- 
plus of seminal fluid. Seminal emis- 
sions are the result of maturation. 

6 4 



The Age of Chivalry 

They result as the expression of a 
physiologic surplus of the testicular 
secretion. Such relief is as normal to 
the boy as is menstruation to the girl. 
The frequency of the emissions is de- 
pendent in part upon the stimulation 
of the sex organs through various me- 
chanical or emotional stimuli. Occu- 
pation, abundant exercise in the open 
air, cool bedrooms, and a lack of sug- 
gestive salacious literature tend to 
limit the frequency of the emissions 
within harmless bounds. It is well to 
suggest that as long as his bed bears 
the evidence of this normal secretion 
at infrequent intervals the father will 
know that his son is strong and sexual- 
ly healthy. It is wise to call attention 
to the fact that when athletes desire to 
train for their feats a strict adherence 
to a life of sexual purity is imperative- 
ly required. 

To inculcate a desire for healthful 

65 



Sex Education 

exercise at this period is of the great- 
est value, not only for the purpose of 
fatiguing the youngster, but for the 
reason that a boy engaged in vigorous 
outdoor exercise is less likely to suffer 
from sexual excitement. Energy flows 
along the line of least resistance. Ac- 
tivity diverts energy into channels free 
from sexual suggestion. Physical 
health and psychical health grow 
apace. Idleness and laziness involve 
a sluggish circulation and a will flabby 
from disuse. There is little manliness 
to withstand the assaults of the degene- 
rate sex lore of the gang. Crime, im- 
morality and disease form the harvest 
of an idle child at puberty. 

It is beyond doubt that the father 
can better appreciate the sex difficul- 
ties of his son. His sex knowledge, ex- 
perience, and sex sympathies enable 
him to approach the boy's mind more 
intelligently than the mother, if he 
66 



The Age of Chivalry 

would only make the effort. When the 
distinctly masculine problems arise the 
father should become the special guide 
and friend of his son. Like Chester- 
field he should even lay aside his age 
and remember the age of the boy and 
try to appreciate his point of view. At 
puberty the boy becomes sex class 
conscious and underrates the opinions 
of his mother because "after all she 
isn't a man." It is an opportunity to 
lift a boy up to manhood, appealing to 
every newly developing fibre of manli- 
ness. This is no period for mere idle 
warnings against impulsive appetites. 
Curiosity is difficult to restrain. Imag- 
ination is powerful especially where 
tongues are forced to be silent and 
thoughts run riot for lack of expres- 
sion. Hygiene may present objectively 
the results of the perversion of the sex- 
ual functions and this may tend to es- 
tablish continence on weak founda 

6 7 



Sex Education 

tions. Moral precepts act subjectively 
but create the possibility of ethical de- 
cisions which alone can bulwark chas- 
tity. The same power of the imagina- 
tion may be harnessed more effectively 
as Fiske suggests : "Power of imagina- 
tion is closely connected with the abil- 
ity to work hard and submit to present 
discomfort for the sake of a distant re- 
ward." 

As the girl rounds out into the form 
of a woman she especially needs the 
guidance of her mother. The physiol- 
ogy of puberty is so startling, though 
far from sudden, that many girls are 
severely shocked and sadly unstrung 
for the lack of a few words of warning 
or explanation. As the father is in 
many ways more close to the son, the 
mother is the especial companion of 
her daughter. From maternal lips 
the girl should learn of the lessons of 
approaching puberty. The meaning 
68 



The Age of Chivalry 

of the developing breasts with their ir- 
ritability forms an important story. All 
manipulation of the breasts is unde- 
sirable. The protection of breasts 
from undue pressure by clothing per- 
mits their growth without adding to 
the reflex symptoms from irritation of 
the nipples. 

Wise is the mother who insists that 
the roughness of boys must not be per- 
mitted to extend to careless handling. 
The amorous amusements which so 
frequently occur during the latter por- 
tion of the age often form the begin- 
ning of a state of emotional instability 
that leads to a desire for sexual excite- 
ment. 

The meaning of menstruation should 
be explained and the first appearance 
of this epochal physiologic index 
should be anticipated. The necessity 
for unusual physical care during this 
period should be accentuated. The 

6 9 



Sex Education 

importance of adequate clothing, in- 
cluding protection of the feet, should 
receive words of explanation. A cau- 
tion regarding sudden chilling or ex- 
posure to cold baths will save many 
girls unpleasant hours. Most of all 
should advice be offered regarding 
dancing, violent exercise, and pro- 
longed excitement, particularly that of 
an emotional type. 

This is a wonderful time to retain 
the confidence of a daughter. To be 
girls together, that must be the mother's 
main idea and ideal. The sacredness 
of all sex subjects must be insisted upon 
and the maternal mind can guide the 
daughter through the thicket of ignor- 
ance without allowing her sensitive na- 
ture to be torn and bruised. The 
mother who fails to hold fast to her 
child at this period never has another 
natural opportunity. The new emo- 
tions will arise; the tingling spirit 
70 



The Age of Chivalry 

will burst forth. The first blush of ap- 
proaching womanhood may sear her 
soul if no wise counsellor and friend 
offers knowledge. Wherefore as the 
age of chivalry is ushered in grip 
your child more closely. You cannot 
prevent children from discussing to- 
gether the awakening mysterious feel- 
ings that tend to overwhelm them. It 
is impossible to prevent the voice of 
the gang from being heard in your 
home. It is therefore essential to ad- 
vise your child of the truth regarding 
her physical structure before the vul- 
gar terms can deny you the right to ex- 
clude them. Tell your children freely, 
candidly, that you are going to give 
them the facts and that you do so gladly 
for it is your duty to do so. Permit 
children to understand that it is their 
privilege to receive instruction from 
their parents in everything pertaining 
to their sexual organization, emotions, 

7} 



Sex Education 

or functions. The very desire for 
putside information is immediately 
lessened. No longer is there joy in 
clandestine whisperings for there is no 
room for mystery when a flood of in- 
formation is always available. 

It is a mark of caution that is not 
to be disregarded to inform girls as 
well as boys that many boys and girls 
do not have the same opportunity for 
securing correct information and there- 
fore do not know the truth about such 
subjects. It is well to counsel that 
there be abstinence from conversation 
about sex themes with others among 
their companions. Such a result, while 
a natural request, is difficult of accom- 
plishment. The wiser course is to sug- 
gest that any information gleaned from 
other fields be talked over with the pa- 
rent so that the true grains may be 
separated from the chaff. Keep a close 
mental contact — and a gentle current 
72 



The Age of Chivalry 

of psychic rest will join parent and 
child. The rapid interruption of the 
contact will soon result in severe shock 
to either parent or child, and ere long 
some companion will short-circuit the 
parent, who then loses all power of 
guidance though the wire of respon- 
sibility is still alive. 

It is far simpler to develop the 
teaching gradually during the age of 
chivalry by following out the lines 
suggested in the previous chapter. 
There is less embarrassment to the pa- 
rent and the barrier of shame can be 
opposed by the careful inculcation of 
truths during the years up to fourteen. 
The parent who merely waits for evi- 
dences of puberty with the mental res- 
ervation that full instruction on all 
subjects deemed necessary will be given 
at that time, has a seriously difficult 
task to look in upon the child's book of 
mysteries. The distorted pictures are 

73 



Sex Education 

not easily erased. The maudlin senti- 
ment, the false stories, the ugly misrep- 
resentations, the perverted imagination 
have placed ineradicable marks upon 
every page. The book has been thought 
of, dreamed of, and written in secret. 
There is no desire to share the secret 
with the parent, just beginning to show 
interest. Unusual tact, patience and 
judgment are essential to overcome the 
mental attitude that has been acquired 
through parental neglect or indiffer- 
ence. 

The advantages of elementary school 
education are enjoyed during this age. 
Children as a result are securing a 
gradually enlarged horizon of natural 
history. From the kindergarten the 
life histories of plants and animals are 
discussed. With the training in higher 
grades many botanical phenomena are 
observed. Zoological development is 
slowly evolved and the various types 

74 



The Age of Chivalry 

of animals are discussed. There is 
never hesitancy in describing those 
creatures born from an egg hatched 
without the mother's body, or those 
born partially developed like the mar- 
supials, or the living young brought 
forth from the egg developed within 
the mother's body. The necessity of 
keeping in touch with a child's school 
work is well exemplified in relation to 
sex education. The parent is in the 
position of securing fairly exact in- 
formation as to the child's vocabulary, 
the extent of its knowledge of natural 
phenomena. The reading of litera- 
ture supplies many words that parents 
might well explain unless the child ap- 
pears to have a full understanding of 
their meaning. To grow up intellec- 
tually with one's children requires un- 
usual patience and devotion, but the 
results are most stimulating. 

From the simple tales of the early 

75 



Sex Education 

age there now arise the complex prob- 
lems relating to conception as demon- 
strated through a study of pollination. 
Opportunity presents itself for ex- 
plaining the essential masculinity of the 
stamens and the particular femininity 
of the pistils. Slowly fact by fact is 
added until the child understands 
that the pollen represents the life giv- 
ing principle of the male portion of 
the plant. Only by transference of the 
pollen granules to the pistil is there a 
possibility of further plant life. Cleav- 
age of a flower soon shows the ovules 
hidden away within the ovary and the 
necessity of the protection of the egg is 
apparent. The clouds of pollen and 
the limitation of the number of the 
ovules suggests a condition that holds 
true throughout the living world. 
With the higher development of life it 
is notable that the number of eggs will 
be decreased. The multitude of fish 

7 6 



The Age of Chivalry 

eggs gives way to the small nestings of 
the birds. The litter gives way to a 
child or occasionally more. 

The ovary and its egg or ovule is 
analogous to similar organs in the 
human species. The tiny ovule by it- 
self can not bring forth new life. It is 
but a potential seed requiring the de- 
velopment of the pollen down the 
pistil until the life-giving principles of 
each have fused together. Then and 
then only is a seed found capable of 
transmitting life, under proper en- 
vironment. All life comes from the 
egg. And the fertilization of the egg 
is an essential factor of reproduction. 

The boy with seminal emissions 
must appreciate that semen is teeming 
with the life-giving sperm cells. The 
girl should understand the relation be- 
tween menstruation and ovulation — 
menstruation is practically a periodic 
preparation for maternity. An ovum 

77 



Sex Education 

(egg) is released from the ovary. 
Conception is impossible while sperm 
and ovum fail to unite. In a very 
limited sense the stigma and anthers 
are analogous in function to the external 
organs of generation, merely serving 
for the transmission and reception of 
pollen, while the essential embryonal 
processes are developed within the 
floral ovary. 

While especial reference is made 
to the botanical facts, it must not be 
imagined that this can be told in a day 
or a week or a month. It may take the 
entire period of chivalry to allow all 
the facts to get to the child. It is par- 
ticularly important to remember that 
questions must be freely and frankly 
answered. If false modesty is thrown 
aside and parental responsibility as- 
sumes command of the situation there 
will be little difficulty in finding words 
to explain any of the facts of life con- 

78 



The Age of Chivalry 

cerning which the child seeks light. 
Human knowledge is not unlimited 
and if, as may often occur, the child 
asks a question that the parent does 
not really know how to answer, there 
is all the greater reason for the par- 
ent to make honest admission of ignor- 
ance with the promise to give the in- 
formation as soon as it may be secured. 
As an example of interest and indus- 
try to the child it becomes important 
to ascertain the facts necessary to sup- 
ply the desired answer. 

During this period of life it is but 
natural that the sharpened observa- 
tion of children should lead to in- 
quiries regarding the human form. 
Here again straightforward replies are 
imperative. In the latter part of this 
era the gang spirit is growing and the 
opportunity for securing information 
from companions is increasing. The 
slightest hesitancy of the parent is 

79 






Sex Education 

noted, evasions are readily appreciat- 
ed and falsehoods are quickly detected. 
Many parents place themselves in re- 
grettably false positions and often ap- 
pear ridiculous to their children in 
the light of the vulgar explanations of 
sex physiology as acquired from extra- 
parental sources. 

The longer that parents postpone 
giving sex truths to their children the 
longer will youthful imaginations be 
exercised. Misconceptions and vul- 
garity increase the sense of shame and 
break down any confidence which pre- 
viously may have existed. Silence on 
sexual themes breeds an independence 
of the home for the very information 
that may best be given in the home. 

There is too often a fear, latent or 
manifest, that the real facts of life may 
be presented before the child is pre- 
pared to receive them. This attitude 
80 



The Age of Chivalry 

is perhaps natural in view of the his- 
tory of our methods of education. 

It is needless to point out that our 
fears regarding the mental prepared- 
ness of childhood does not extend to 
the study of mathematics, history, geo- 
graphy, or natural history. These are 
impersonal subjects and so there ap- 
pears to be little danger in securing a 
graduated curriculum that builds up 
step by step the knowledge that is 
deemed essential to the welfare of the 
child and the community 

The careful instillation of sex in- 
formation over a period of years pro- 
duces a preparedness for each addi- 
tional fact. The fact that children 
ask questions suggests that they are 
prepared to receive an adequate re- 
sponse. Thought precedes the ques- 
tion and other thoughts will follow 
whether there is or is not a direct 
answer. The purpose of prompt and 
81 



Sex Education 

correct replies is to ensure the proper 
training of the mind so that later judg- 
ments may be based upon facts rather 
than upon imagination or tradition. 

The fear for the child's welfare is 
all too frequently merely an excuse for 
the parent who is not prepared to give 
the instruction or who mistrusts his 
ability to express the truths in terms 
comprehensible to the child. 

Masturbation requires personal at- 
tention more during the last years of 
this age of chivalry than at any other 
time. It is the opportunity of prevent- 
ing the habit that presents itself. 
Younger boys learn the practice from 
older boys and loose companionships 
at puberty are dangerous. Guidance 
against this practice may well be anti- 
cipatory. By calling attention to the 
necessity of caring for the genital or- 
gans so as to preserve their health, by 
encouraging general ideals of cleanli- 
82 



The Age of Chivalry 

ness much may be accomplished. The 
damage of this solitary vice is visited 
upon the nervous system and the psy- 
chic centers. The warnings coupled 
with threats of physical punishment 
are of little avail. Appeals to self-re- 
straint, self-respect and on the grounds 
of health are of far greater value. 
Calling upon pride, ambition and man- 
liness has more potential power where 
there is added thereto an intelligent 
discussion of the interrelation of the 
general health of the body and the 
health of all its parts. To cause chil- 
dren to realize that the accomplish- 
ment of their desires and ideals de- 
pends upon their freedom from self- 
handling gives an impetus to self-con- 
trol that is otherwise lacking. Some 
precocious youths secure additional 
strength in the idea that their poten- 
tial paternity may be sacrificed 
through the stimulation of their sexual 

83 



Sex Education 

selves at this period of immaturity. 

Abnormal sexual excitation may 
occur from immoral plays, suggestive 
books, or the amorous relations engen- 
dered by close contact. Oversight can- 
not be constant. Giving advice in neg- 
atives grows oppressive. The con- 
structive suggestions as to music, plays, 
and reading are distinctly helpful. The 
encouragement of open air activities 
and outdoor sports, fostering the col- 
lecting instincts and developing interests 
that are not self-centered help to lessen 
the distressing effects of unrestrained 
emotionalism and guard against the 
likelihood of later sensuality. There 
is unconsciously developed a power of 
inhibition of sexual impulses. The 
immoral tendencies are limited in their 
expression. Physical health is in- 
creased. Idleness is discouraged. The 
expanding consciousness is guided in- 
to safe waters. Self-control and self- 



The Age of Chivalry 

direction are developed without lay- 
ing stress upon the morbid pictures of 
the results of self-abuse. 

While elementary school education 
characterizes this period of childhood, 
the Sunday school also plays its part in 
developing high ideals and in inculca- 
ting the virtues of chastity, love, and 
reverence. The power of religion is 
excellent in causing the evolution of 
moral and ethical concepts protective 
and sustaining in nature. Unfortunate- 
ly the period of Sunday school influ- 
ence usually ceases at the time it is 
most needed. The indecision and in- 
stability of puberty require the con- 
tinuance of religious influences beyond 
the period of confirmation. The in- 
termittency of ethical and religious 
instruction weakens its power as a 
guiding principle. ? A consciousness of 
the sacredness of human life affords 
additional strength to boys and girls, 

85 



Sex Education 

enabling them to withstand tempta- 
tion out of fear of God, when the per- 
sonal danger makes no appeal to them. 
As this is an age of emotion and senti- 
ment the power of religion deserves 
greater recognition. The parents by 
taking cognizance of this phase of edu- 
cation have renewed powers for estab- 
lishing morality on the highest basis. 
By giving thought to boys, the in- 
terests of girls will be subserved. 
Males are the sexual aggressors. By 
lessening the number of the invading 
force the defense of the girls will be 
strengthened. Honor and chivalry 
founded on love are readily established 
at this age. Building up this structure 
upon the foundation of the home calls 
forth a new reaction. To make a child 
realize that the honor of the family 
rests upon him develops a new respon- 
sibility. Pride in family is essentially 
protective against vice. The counsel 
86 



The Age of Chivalry 

to so conduct themselves toward other 
boys and girls as they would desire to 
have their brothers and sisters and 
mother and father treated, places be- 
fore childhood a plane of action that 
tends to prevent moral retrogression. 
Such advice is particularly valuable 
when parents and children must be 
separated. The constant presence of a 
parental guiding spirit is a safeguard 
for the child living at a boarding 
school, where supervision is lax and 
where the herding of either sex tends 
to increase the possibilities of sexual 
transgressions. 

The consciousness of approaching 
manhood and womanhood affords a 
point of contact that reacts to intelli- 
gent development. The creation of 
the highest ideals brings about a sort 
of absentee system of control. The 
qualities of manliness and womanliness 
appeal to children. Imitation has be- 
87 



Sex Education 

gun to yield to motivated conduct. 
Chivalry as the result of mere emotion- 
alism gradually gives place to chivalry 
arising from an intelligent conception 
of its value and purpose. 

Knowledge has been gradually ac- 
quired. Sentiment has evolved from 
emotion. Moral standards are ready 
for birth through labored judgment. 

The long period of sex instruction 
is beginning to bring its desired results 
— merely beginning because character 
is still in process of evolution. Drum- 
mond has struck the keynote of every 
program for sex instruction in stating 
"The function of education is to guide 
the intellect into a knowledge of right 
and wrong, to supply motives for right 
conduct, and to furnish occasions for 
the exercise by which alone can moral 
habits be cultivated." 



88 



THE AGE OF 
CIVIC AWAKENING 



Ill 

THE AGE OF 
CIVIC AWAKENING 



THE period of civic awakening in 
turn marks a further develop- 
ment of character. The child in 
beginning adolescence appreciates that 
he is part of a community. The world 
of ideas has expanded. No longer is 
the sharp focus on himself. His 
thoughts are less centripetal. There is 
a realization of the world outside of 
the home and a recognition of the fact 
that competition is going on in it. 

The idea of partnership in life 
makes itsolf strong. The thoughts of 
future marriage already occupy a share 
of the mental horizon. There is al- 
ready pictured the joys of a home, to- 
gether with service toward husband, 

9i 



Sex Education 

wife or children. It is really the day 
of many loves. No mere romance 
satisfies, but there must be completion 
if possible. How many engagements 
are thus made to be broken? It is the 
age of awakened sex power that de- 
velops the coquette or the troubadour, 
the fickle lover, or the devoted slave. 

The awakening is, however, all de- 
signed to view the future. The under- 
standing of the relation of the individ- 
ual to the community or the State is 
slowly coming to play a part in the in- 
dividual's life. The desire to vote, to 
have a home of one's own, to take a 
place in the affairs of the world marks 
the arrival of the child to a plane of 
emotions that will enable a parent to 
make an appeal to the altruistic senti- 
ments. How wonderful becomes the 
sense of power on realizing that each 
individual is laden with responsibility 
for the health morals, and progress of 
92 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

many others. Not preservation of self 
for self but self preservation to protect 
others becomes a new incentive. The 
selfish idea in the prevention of disease, 
physical or moral, takes on an altruistic 
aspect. Self-happiness at last begins to 
recognize that it includes and depends 
upon the happiness of others. 

To the parent who has guided his 
child wisely during the age of mythol- 
ogy and the age of chivalry there will 
be no difficulty in making a marked ad- 
vance during the third period of child 
life. The habit of giving instruction 
and advice will have given the parent 
new force, courage, confidence and de- 
termination. The child accustomed to 
friendly discussion with its parents ap- 
preciates more than ever the benefits 
conferred by it. There is greater re- 
spect for parental opinions. With the 
birth of reason there is at least the argu- 
ment from authority of the parent to 

93 



Sex Education 

offset the fallacious and foul arguments 
that are so current among adolescents 
between the ages of fifteen and twenty- 
one. With adequate foundations es- 
tablished during previous years the ad- 
vance of sex instruction is facilitated 
and obstacles are scarcely noted. There 
is much toil and suffering for the par- 
ent who must jump into the trough of 
the sea of sex lore to rescue his mis- 
guided child, struggling to keep afloat. 
The time to plan rescue is before the 
catastrophe occurs. If the parent feels 
unable to give all the essential facts 
at this time, direct or indirect co- 
operation should be solicited. The 
physician of the family might well 
serve to instruct the parent instead of 
the child. Otherwise the parent 
should advise the youngster that he is 
being sent to a medical authority be- 
cause it is essential that he secure as full 
information as possible. After advice 

94 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

by the doctor, it is very valuable to ask 
the boy or girl to tell what in general 
was told by the medical counsellor. 
Keep up the closeness of contact with 
the child. 

A bit of tradition that needs to have 
particular attention, is the statement 
that sexual intercourse is essential to 
masculine health. This is false, save 
possibly for a few men with undevelop- 
ed wills and overdeveloped sexual or- 
ganization. This latter type is so un- 
usual as to be negligible. The use of 
the sexual organs is not essential for the 
preservation of their function. The po- 
tency of an individual is far more en- 
dangered through sexual indiscretions 
than by adherence to continence. The 
needs of the man who has freely in- 
dulged in sexual life are not to be con- 
sidered. I repeat, that there is no 
more necessity for a boy to indulge in 
sexual life than there is for girls. Sex 

95 



Sex Education 

purity is not alone compatible with 
health, but health is far more likely to 
result from adherence to sexual abstin- 
ence than from submission to those im- 
pulses that generally lead to medica- 
tion. Establishing this advice upon a 
merely physical basis omits the moral 
degeneration that accompanies the idea. 
No matter what the personal experi- 
ence of the father may have been, he 
has a duty to his boy to protect him 
from disease. Therefore, he should 
give his son the advantage of his knowl- 
edge. If, after the warning words have 
been given, the boy elects to travel 
along the road toward impotence, steril- 
ity, or disease, at least he will never be 
able to cry out "Why didn't my father 
tell me?" After puberty has fully de- 
veloped and adolescence is fully under 
way, there will be frequent admoni- 
tions, or at least the necessity for warn- 
ings against the siren call that sexual 

96 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

indulgence is an essential characteristic 
of manliness and is requisite for health 
and vigor. 

By the time that a boy has thought 
of shaving as an imminent necessity, he 
has heard another false piece of sex lore 
to the effect that gonorrhea is nothing 
worse than a slight cold. Of all sex doc- 
trine this is the most serious and in- 
defensible. In order to counteract the 
influence of this pernicious lie, the 
father should tell his son of the nature 
and dangers of the venereal diseases. 
Not alone should stress be placed upon 
the personal results of the venereal 
diseases, but more particularly should 
the boy learn that these diseases, so diffi- 
cult to cure, are a possible source of in- 
fection of his mother and sisters and of 
the portion of the community in which 
he lives. 

There is no divine right of sensu- 
ality. The physical necessity of sexual 

97 



Sex Education 

life is no more definite for boys than 
for girls. Certainly the vicious sensu- 
ality of the immature youths can rally 
no defenders. Chastity for man ap- 
pears to be difficult because of the tradi- 
tional freedom, goading our youths to 
licentiousness. The defense of the 
necessity of sexual life for the male is 
offered as an excuse for the gratifying 
of desires that are stimulated by the 
outrageous untruths that are circulated 
among youths. Little wonder that 
Dubois exclaims: 

"What astounds me, what revolts me, is to 
see the complacency with which libertinism is 
regarded by the educated classes, whom one 
would expect to be protected by their intellectual 
culture." 

Such license is permitted to thrive, 
without check or even attempt at strenu- 
ous opposition, because of the failure 
of intelligent parents to realize the im- 
mense amount of damage resulting to 
manhood and womanhood. 
q8 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

The physical aspect of venereal 
diseases abounds in unpleasantness. 
The "black plagues," as they are termed, 
are constantly present in our commun- 
ity. Venereal disease is far more prev- 
alent than tuberculosis though its 
direct mortality rate is low. There is 
always the danger of infection of the 
innocent friend, playmate, sister, wife 
or mother that makes the black plagues 
especially serious. The infected child 
may rob himself of health. Perchance 
blindness may occur, stiff joints result, 
or a heart become diseased beyond re- 
pair. This is but a faint suggestion of 
the personal dangers. The moral de- 
generation that ensues lowers ideals and 
weakens faith in humanity. The im- 
mediate dangers may be slight and the 
brunt of the latent fire may sear middle 
age. As Colton remarked: "The ex- 
cesses of our youth are drafts upon our 

99 



Sex Education 

old age, payable with interest, about 
thirty years after date." 

The venereal peril is unfortunately 
not limited to the male aggressor but 
the innocent victim or the puella pub- 
lico, is also subjected to infection. 
Disease of the genital organs of girls is 
far more serious, leading often to 
chronic invalidism, sterility, or the 
operating table. The kiss of affection 
may be laden with disease and innocent- 
ly acquired infection may result. The 
health of others is endangered as the re- 
sult of straying into poisoned paths, 
seeking the gratification of personal de- 
sires founded on imaginative ignorance. 

In marriage the indiscretions of 
youth may be visited upon wife or 
child. Congenital idiocy, hydroceph- 
alus, or syphilitic infants bear witness to 
the riotous sex conduct of youth. The 
unnecessary blindness of infants, the 
ioo 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

frequent miscarriages, the one-child 
marriages are part of the toll of the 
venereal diseases. Insanity, immorality, 
and crime as well as disease flourish as 
a result of ignorance of the dangers of 
indiscriminate sexual misconduct. The 
sense of duty of man to the community 
is slowly awakening. Fiske prophet- 
ically wrote: "Man is slowly passing 
from a primitive social state in which 
he was little better than a brute, to- 
ward an ultimate social state in which 
his character shall have become so 
transformed that nothing of the brute 
can be detected in it." To bring about 
this millennium requires the heartiest 
co-operation of parents. 

In this period of civic awakening 
the youths must be taught their moral 
obligations to the community. Self- 
control should be built up through 
the establishment of ethical standards. 
The necessity of self-control in prep- 

ioi 



Sex Education 

aration for marriage warrants free dis- 
cussion of the questions relating to the 
standards of morality. A single stan- 
dard of morality for the sexes is impera" 
tive for social betterment. It is physi- 
ologically and psychologically possible 
as well as economically desirable. Few 
adolescents fail to see the importance of 
chastity for women, and honest parental 
discussion will aid them to grasp the 
equal importance of chastity for men. 

If a father has maintained the con- 
fidence of his son there will be no diffi- 
culty of discussing freely with the ma- 
turing young man the importance of 
the single standard of morals for the 
community, and that standard the one 
now exacted by men of the opposite sex. 
Honest discussion of the problems of 
alcoholism, of prostitution, the white 
slave problem, the immediate and re- 
mote effects of the venereal diseases up- 
on the individual affected and the com- 
102 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

munity, are fruitful in building up in 
a man-boy's mind an intelligent concep- 
tion of the hygiene of sex, particularly 
on the prophylactic side. Recourse to 
anatomical museums may be of inestim- 
able value in training some young men, 
by impressing upon their minds, 
through the vision, the horrible nature 
and extent of the personal physical rav- 
ages of the venereal diseases. 

The necessity of a man entering 
wedlock free from physical disease, de- 
mands ever increasing thought, and this 
will be given in time by all fathers as 
•the demand for certificates of healthpre- 
vious to marriage becomes more gen- 
eral throughout the country. At the 
time of mental projection, when the 
young son begins to picture his own 
home, surrounding himself with all the 
joys of a wife and children, the father 
has the natural opportunity to impress 
his son with the obligation that devolves 
103 



Sex Education 

upon him to bring to that fancied home 
a full measure of health and vitality. 
The story of preventable blindness may 
be told; the dangers of infection of the 
wife by the dissolute husband may be 
recounted; the unhappiness resulting 
from masculine sterility warrants full 
comment. In brief, the boy should re- 
ceive from his father the true statement 
of facts to which he is entitled as part of 
his education for life. It is not de- 
manded that fathers be eugenists or 
wiseacres on sex topics and their cor- 
related phenomena, but it is only fair 
that they should not dodge their respon- 
sibilities, or make mystery, or foster 
darkness where there is no mvsterv and 
where light abounds. 

The theory that wiia oars must 
be sown by males has accomplished 
the physical, mental, and moral 
downfall of many of our finest youths. 
It has brought about the corruption of 
104 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

many of our girls. Through this dia- 
bolical tradition homes have been de- 
spoiled, bodies wrecked, minds weak- 
ened and souls destroyed. Parents fail 
to place the beacon so necessary to point 
out this destructive rock. Wild oats 
flourish because a double standard of 
morality is tacitly accepted as true. 
And the double standard of mor- 
ality is condoned as a result of the 
ill founded belief that continence is in- 
compatible with masculine health. In 
this worship of false gods countless 
young men and women are sacrificed. 
Parental education can lessen this un- 
holy tribute. If the imagination of 
youths is fired and desire is warmed un- 
til it breaks its bonds, the power of the 
will to govern and restrain will be over- 
come. The will needs ammunition to 
enforce the mandates of a developing 
conscience. The development of self- 
respect, of an interest in future attain* 
105 



Sex Educatior 

ments, of a desire for a clean home, of 
the appreciation of eugenic principles, 
of an understanding of the interrelation 
of personal welfare and the betterment 
of the human race open avenues of ap- 
proach to the growing mind that will 
strengthen the will. By thus attacking 
the problem the will may be enabled 
to withstand the blandishments of wine, 
women and song and masculine tradi- 
tions. 

Moral stamina must be created in 
order to effectively sustain the intelli- 
gent conviction that illicit sexual in- 
dulgence is physically dangerous, men- 
tally weakening and morally wrong. 
Opposing the physical stress, mental 
surrender and moral struggle there 
must be aligned manly courage, firm 
determination and strong character. 

Honest discussion by parents of the 
dangers of conception, the curse of 
illegitimacy, the viciousness of abor- 
iio6 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

tions, the stigma of immorality will 
create an attitude of mind that will 
strengthen the moral fibres of woman- 
hood. Such physical references sound 
gross, possibly revolting, but frequently 
they may be necessary where moral 
training has not established a high 
standard of conduct. Fortunately girls 
have a higher instinctive morality than 
boys. They are not subjected to the 
pressure of immoral sex lore. 

The ethical training of girls should 
be directed and guided so that the high- 
est ethical standards will be essential to 
their happiness. The necessity of ex- 
acting, as far as may be possible, the 
single standard of morality from their 
male companions should be urged. 
They should understand the value of 
chastity as it relates to husbands, homes 
and future children. The demand for 
a single standard of morality by women 
will hasten its arrival. The emotional 
107 



Sex Education 

side of women's nature lends vigor to 
their campaign for ideals. The estab- 
lishment of ethical concepts among 
girls is easier by virtue of the lack of 
destructive influences that surge about 
boyhood. The sex barriers that exist 
among women form a protecting wall 
that enables them to accumulate will 
power sufficient to live up to their 
ideals with far less struggle than besets 
their brothers. 

The male is the essential factor in 
the sex problem. 

In the preparation for parenthood 
both sexes require education. To se- 
cure the most permanent results that 
may ensure marital felicity and lessen 
disease, desertion, and divorce, direct 
instruction in the sins of society becomes 
necessary. "The diseases of Society 
can, no more than corporal maladies, 
be prevented or cured without being 
spoken about in plain language" wrote 
1 08 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

John Stuart Mill. With the reading 
of literature, with the daily digest of 
news of the day the minds of adoles- 
cents are crowded with the facts of 
every-day life. The theatre, the ser- 
mons, the clubs, the sewing circles give 
ample opportunity for securing the 
facts pertaining to sex life. Is there any 
reason for parents to sit idly by and 
watch and await developments? Far 
more rational is it for parents to seize 
their opportunities as they arise andgive 
the counsel so valuable to guide the 
collapsible craft into a safe haven. 

The education by parents during 
this age meets with most active compe- 
tition. Fraternities, sororities, clubs, 
sewing circles, dancing classes, board- 
ing schools, and similar organizations 
give new fields for self expression. The 
interaction of minds from homes of all 
types determines the final evolution of 
the character of the adolescent. The 
109 



Sex Education 

power of companions for good or for 
evil is tremendous. There is no way 
of estimating the effect of companion- 
ship. One can only safeguard boys and 
girls at this period of awakening by en- 
couraging them to seek out as friends 
those glorying in high ideals, backed 
up with judgment and fortified by the 
courage of intelligent convictions. 
"The entire very powerful effect of ex- 
ample," penned Schopenhauer," rests 
on the fact that the man as a rule has 
too little faculty of judgment, often, 
also, too little knowledge to explore 
his way himself, and hence is he glad to 
tread in the footsteps of others." Inas- 
much as the greater part of the life of 
adolescents is spent beyond the range of 
parental vision, the value of retaining 
confidence and interchanging opinions 
with children becomes enhanced. In a 
letter to his seventeen-year-old son, 
Chesterfield wrote frankly, "111 ex- 
no 






The Age of Civic Awakening 

ample is of itself dangerous enough; 
but those who give it seldom stop there. 
They add their infamous exhortations 
and invitations and if they fail they 
have recourse to ridicule which is hard- 
er for one of your age and inexperience 
to withstand than either of the former." 
And wisely did he further state that 
such companions "are at once the sup- 
port, the terror, and the victims of the 
bawdy houses they frequent. These 
poor mistaken people think they shine, 
and so they do indeed ; but it is as putre- 
faction shines in the dark." 

The caution to cling to moral ideals 
and retain a steadfast ethical purpose 
must be frequently administered to off- 
set the influence and example of lewd 
companions. For the sake of sociabil- 
ity unthinking youth swerves all too 
easily from the paths of right conduct. 
To withstand ridicule is difficult. To 
fight impending ostracism requires deep 
in 



Sex Education 

conviction of the worthiness of ideals. 
And the adolescent finds that the sex 
spirit is a living force. Self-control 
may be wholly within his power but to 
spare himself the taunts and jibes of 
those who assert he lacks courage and 
manliness, he voluntarily yields not to 
impulse but to the desire to be regarded 
as one of the boys. The wise father is 
able to forestall this surrender. The 
moral plane should be upheld and this 
combat with tradition anticipated. 
Right living is manliness. Having the 
courage of ethical convictions is the 
fruition of character formation. It is 
essential that the highest moral concepts 
be incarnated. The wiles of the lewd 
will not easily lower the standards of a 
living morality. 

The flirtations, the clandestine 
meetings, the lascivious dances may not 
result in harm but they are dangerous 
temptations. To be sociable and to es- 

112 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

cape the stigma of prig or prude many 
girls willingly yield some of their self- 
respect. The mother whose wise 
counsel is always available knows the 
pitfalls endangering her sex and can 
protect her daughter. 

The mantle of maternal love and 
guidance should constantly be about the 
adolescent girl. Parental alertness and 
careful choice of companions coupled 
with a gradual explanation of the phys- 
ical and emotional phenomena of 
adolescence will serve to develop the 
faculty of intelligent judgment. The 
age of civic awakening will end with 
an enlightened manhood,knowing good 
and knowing evil but capable of self- 
control and self-direction in accordance 
with the highest standards of sex mor- 
ality. The selfish personal sexual re- 
lations will have been subordinated to 
the highest motives. The age of dis- 
cretion that supervenes will be founded 

113 



Sex Education 

on the realization that "None of us 
liveth by himself and no man dieth to 
himself." 

There will eventuate a physico-men- 
tal morality that will understand that 
sexuality is merely the expression of a 
creative force. The development of the 
individual and the progress of society 
require that this force be expended 
wisely. Service to the community is a 
noble exercise of the creative power. 
The mental development of the per- 
sonal power of creative expression is 
attained through activity in music, art, 
painting, sculpture, domestic science, 
manual work, the earnest study of home 
making, law, medicine, theology. The 
body must receive its physical care 
through gymnastics, athletic games, 
calisthenics or other procedures that 
co-ordinate the neuromuscular stimuli. 

Even with this strong body and 
heightened mentality, morality evolves 

JI 4 



The Age of Civic Awakening 

only through the conscious attention 
and thoughtful guidance of discerning 
parents. 



115 



CONCLUSION 



IV 
CONCLUSION 



THE program of instruction as out- 
lined in the previous chapters is 
essentially personal in its nature, 
and must be followed through direct 
parental instruction. 

Books are not of much value during 
the early years of life and often harm 
the children if given during the 
age of chivalry, because they awaken 
thoughts for which the child's men- 
tality is not prepared. Some of the 
books suggested for children are dis- 
tinctly morbid and tend to give false 
impressions that are confusing in the 
light of the lack of experience with 
actual sexual life. Books may even 
create a desire for personal experiences 
that are fraught with danger. Special 
119 



Sex Education 

books in the hands of parents are most 
valuable for the purpose of giving ade- 
quate instruction to the children. 

Parental advice is not always fol- 
lowed in any walk of childish endeavor, 
but parents do not refrain from offer- 
ing counsel on this account. The best 
protecting influence that children can 
have is the wise parent who is not 
afraid to impart knowledge regarding 
sex hygiene as far as his own limitations 
permit. 

Unless parents make the attempt 
to prepare children adequately for a 
life that is fraught with temptations, 
and honestly endeavor to strengthen 
their wills, parental obligation has fail- 
ed to establish parenthood on the high- 
est standard; thus parents are in every 
way partially responsible for every sex- 
ual fault or indiscretion of children. 
It represents an unconscious alliance of 
parenthood with disease and dissipa- 
120 



Conclusion 

tion. The policy of silence regarding 
sex hygiene must cease, and fathers 
must give positive constructive infor- 
mation to their sons at the times that 
such information will be of maximum 
benefit. Mothers must consistently 
teach their daughters the truths that 
are so necessary for the maintenance of 
their physical health and sexual de- 
velopment. That really means that the 
education of children in sex hygiene 
will be supervised by the parents from 
infancy to maturity. 

Permit children, particularly the 
boys, to secure an honest, clean, and 
scientific interpretation of the phe- 
nomena relating to, and associated with 
sex characteristics, the origin of life, 
and the actual facts regarding the 
hygiene of the genital organs. Banish 
the toilet placards, the vulgar tales, the 
charlatans' advertising booklets, the 
sexual leader of the gang, the lewd 
121 



Sex Education 

companions, the prostitute, as the fonts of 
sex information. To supplant all evil 
influences is impossible. It is feasible 
to introduce the father to the son as a 
companion and friend with whom 
there may be every confidence and con- 
versation. It is desirable to permit 
mother and daughter to dwell together 
in trusting and confiding companion- 
ship. It is possible and desirable to 
induce parents to live up to their ob- 
ligations as parents. The way of the 
transgressor is hard, but far harder 
should it be for parents to sit quietly 
by and realize that but for their silence 
the transgression and its train of evil 
and suffering might not have occurred. 
In self-defence parents should build up 
a physical structure for their children 
that will not crush them in falling. 
Parents should be the steel work in the 
concrete building of sex equilibrium. 
The focusing of attention upon the 
122 



Conclusion 

subject of sex instruction is not designed 
to give to the subject of sex any abnor- 
mal position in the affairs of the world. 
Owing to the many years during which 
the subject has been entirely overlook- 
ed and neglected it has been necessary 
to establish a distinct literature dealing 
with sex problems in a sane, sensible, 
educating manner. It must be far from 
the desire of all parents to create a mor- 
bid interest in the subject for their 
children. There is great necessity, 
however, of appreciating the fact that 
the development of the sexual nature 
of children will result in determining 
many of the moral characteristics upon 
which the safety of the community de- 
pends. In the gradual education of 
children a plan should be adopted of 
making sex instruction progressive 
from infancy to maturity. With a 
graduated scheme of education the in- 
cidental facts necessary for the forma- 
123 



Sex Education 

tion of character will be apperceived 
in such a manner as to limit any special 
prominence of this phase of prepara- 
tion for life. There is no tendency to 
force sexual development, there is 
merely guidance, supervision and con- 
trol. Prudery and false modesty will 
not be fostered. There is only a ra- 
tional endeavor to attempt systematic 
and thoughtful education rather than 
continue to permit a laissez faire atti- 
tude that throws children adrift upon 
sexual currents that may cast them up 
as wrecks upon shoals or reefs or rocky 
shores. 

During the age of mythology the 
child is an essentially physical creature 
and the mode of instruction is designed 
to develop the senses and physical 
health. 

During the age of chivalry the emo- 
tional side of a child's nature is de- 
veloping at a rate of speed that is really 
124 



Conclusion 

disproportionate to his physical pro- 
gress. There should be regulation of 
emotion as well as understanding of its 
deeper significance, and sex instruction 
at this period is designed to produce a 
harmony between the stimulating emo- 
tions, the physical development and the 
sexual ideation. 

The period of civic awakening finds 
childhood tending toward equilibrium. 
There has been absorption of the bare 
facts concerning life. The emotional 
waves have ceased to beat upon the 
child. Mentality has developed suffi- 
ciently to permit of intelligent judg- 
ments. The moral horizon has been 
widened so that there is ability to see, 
appreciate, and understand the larger- 
vistas of life. It is possible for the first 
time to appreciate the meaning of the 
age of discretion. The power of in- 
telligent choice upon questions of right 
and wrong is based upon self-formu- 

125 



Sex Education 

lated criteria. There is no longer the 
self-centered individual, nor yet the 
child whose life belongs merely to the 
family, but manhood and womanhood 
burdened with the consciousness that 
each individual is a cog in the ma- 
chinery of race development. Self-re- 
spect has been engendered through the 
expansion of the sense of duty to self. 
Love has been fostered through evolu- 
tion of family relations, and full meas- 
ure of responsibility has been placed 
upon the souls of the developed and ma- 
ture individuals so that they are capa- 
ble of appreciating their duties to the 
community and their civic relations. 

Sex instruction should be under- 
taken by every conscientious parent. 
Knowledge is power for good or for 
evil. The use to which sex knowledge 
is to be put depends upon the develop- 
ment of the will of the child so that up- 
on the basis of correct instruction as to 
126 



Conclusion 

sex physiology, psychology, and purpose 
he may know evil and right and elect 
to live voluntarily and gladly a life that 
will not jeopardize himself, his par- 
ents, his family or the community of 
which as child and man he is such an 
essential part. 

Sex education has too long depend- 
ed upon tradition and accidental infor- 
mation. It is difficult to establish a 
stable morality founded merely upon 
fear. The pressure of the gang, the al- 
lurements of sex lore, the conjoined im- 
petus of normal impulses and develop- 
ed desire push morality of this nature 
aside at the earliest opportunity. The 
use of alcohol lessens the power of in- 
hibition and further weakens the will. 
The die being cast, immorality and 
disease, if not crime, follow and the 
sacredness of personal morality lapses 
into a subsidiary position that thereafter 
127 



Sex Education 

requires greater defenses to preserve it 
from further retrogression. 

A morality to be a permanent force 
must be founded on truth, built up by 
knowledge and strengthened by reason. 
An understanding of the nature of the 
sex problems is an indispensable pre- 
requisite to an intelligent morality. 

The morality of children must be 
established through painstaking educa- 
tion and training. A rational ethical 
intelligence must be developed or the 
force of morality will not sustain, sup- 
port, and determine the will to secure 
the definite decisive action that is essen- 
tial for the physical and moral welfare 
of the individual and the race. 

Good citizenship demands that an 
efficient system of sex education be rec- 
ognized by parents as part of the men- 
tal equipment of their children. And 
then the instruction will be more readi- 
128 



Conclusion 

ly handed down to the next generation. 
Herbert Spencer commented: 

"But though some care is taken to fit youth 
of both sexes for society and citizenship, no 
care whatever is taken to fit them for the still 
more important position they will ultimately 
have to fill — the position of parents." 

In the hopes of hastening the time 
when such a criticism will be gener- 
ally untrue this program of sex educa- 
tion is offered to parents. 



129 



TERMINOLOGY 



TERMINOLOGY 



INASMUCH as parents are fre- 
quently ignorant of the correct ter- 
minology to be employed in discuss- 
ing the sexual structures a brief resume 
of the anatomy of the reproductive or- 
gans may be of service. 

It is unnecessary to go into a deep 
discussion of anatomy and physiology, 
or to discuss in detail the development 
of pregnancy with the consequent 
growth of the embryo. Facts of this 
nature may be secured in extenso from 
books designed to cover this phase of 
the subject. It is not germane to the 
purpose of this book to dwell upon em- 
bryology. 

The purpose of this brief resume of 
the anatomy of the sexual organs is to 

133 



Sex Education 

give a correct vocabulary to parents so 
that in talking of the genital organs 
they may use those terms which are 
correct instead of permitting children 
to make use of vulgar, obscene, and in- 
discriminate expressions. The co-re- 
lation of the process of reproduction in 
plants and animals is simple, inasmuch 
as they are identical. The relation be- 
tween the stamens and anthers to the 
penis and testes is patent. The similar- 
ity in function of the style, stigma and 
ovary and the vagina, uterus and ovary 
is obvious. The essential identity of 
the process of fertilization within the 
ovary and the womb is based not alone 
upon anatomical similarities, but upon 
the physiological processes involved. 

The value of using correct anatomic- 
al and physiological terms in describ- 
ing the human processes is as necessary 
as making use of the proper technical 

134 



Terminology 

expressions in ordinary discussions of 
botany and zoology. In telling truths 
to children it is fundamental to make 
use of correct terminology. The fun- 
damentals of correct instruction pre- 
suppose a knowledge of the correct 
terms to be employed. 

The male reproductive organs com- 
prise the testicles, prostate gland, semi- 
nal vesicles, and penis. The essential 
organs of reproduction in the male, 
however, are the testicles or testes. 
These are small glands which are con- 
tained in a pouch of skin and are sep- 
arated from each other by a membrane. 
The containing pouch is called the 
scrotum. The testicles are divided by 
a number of radiating partitions into 
a series of small chambers in which are 
contained the seminiferous tubules. 
There are several hundred of these tu- 
bules in each gland, the sperm cells 
are elaborated within the tubules. These 

135 



Sex Education 

unite to form some larger tubes which 
again join to form a small mass lying 
behind the testicle and extending 
around it and bearing the name epidi- 
dymis. 

At the lower end of the testicle 
there emanates from the epididymis a 
tube known as the vas deferens which 
passes beneath the skin leading over 
the groin and then passes down into 
the pelvis and runs to the under side 
of the bladder where it is joined by a 
small tube leading from the seminal 
vesicles. The vas deferens serves to 
carry the secretion from the testicle to 
the urethra. 

The seminal vesicles are two small 
glands lying between the bladder and 
the rectum. A small outer tube from 
each of these vesicles unites with the 
vas deferens to form the ejaculatory 
duct which enters the urethra near the 
neck of the bladder. The purpose of 
136 



Terminology 

these vesicles is to serve as a receptacle 
for semen and possibly to mix with it 
some secretion of its own. 

The prostate gland is about the size 
of a horse-chestnut and surrounds the 
beginning of the urethra. It gives rise 
to a secretion which apparently is of 
importance in diluting the semen. 

The urethra extends from the blad- 
der to the end of the penis and serves 
the double purpose of permitting the 
passage of urine and of allowing the 
ejaculation of semen. 

The penis itself is composed of erec- 
tile tissues which, upon distension with 
blood, permit it to change from a flac- 
cid condition to one of tenseness. It is 
constituted of three masses, two of 
which are the corpora cavernosa and 
the corpus spongiosum. The corpora 
cavernosa constitute the front and sides 
of the penis and consist of elastic tissues 
intersected in all directions so as to 

137 



Sex Education 

form blood spaces or sinuses. The 
under side of the penis consists of the 
corpus spongiosum through which the 
urethra passes. The terminal end of 
this is broadened out so as to form the 
glans. The glans is normally covered 
with a folded layer of skin known as 
the prepuce which serves to protect the 
glans from irritation. Frequently, be- 
cause of abnormal structure, the fore- 
skin actually causes discomfort to re- 
lieve which circumcision is required. 

The life-giving fluid of the male is 
the semen. This is composed of the 
prostatic secretion, the material from 
the seminal vesicles, and the sperma- 
tozoa. The spermatozoa are small 
bodies about 1/400 of an inch in length 
with a flattened body and a long vibrat- 
ing tail. 

The reproductive organs of the fe- 
male consist of the ovary, Fallopian 
tubes, uterus and vagina. These organs 

138 



Terminology 

are homologous to the reproductive 
organs of the male. 

The ovaries are small glands which 
are contained within the pelvis or 
lower portion of the abdomen of the 
woman, and are supported in the broad 
ligaments which help to hold the womb 
in place. Within the ovary there are 
formed small eggs or ova which de- 
velop from the center of the ovary and 
extend toward its periphery. They 
finally burst through the outer cover- 
ing of the ovary and are then taken up 
by the feathery ends of the Fallopian 
tubes. 

The Fallopian tubes are small ducts 
that join the upper and outer angles of 
the womb and extend toward the ovar- 
ies which they partially surround by 
means of a number of small fringes. 

The uterus or womb is a hollow mus- 
cular organ which receives the egg 
from the Fallopian tube or oviduct. 

139 



Sex Education 

The fetus develops within its walls 
after the ovum and a spermatozoon 
have fused together. The womb lies 
between the bladder and the rectum 
and its lower end extends into the va- 
gina to which it is also closely attached. 
The part extending within the vagina 
is termed the neck of the womb. 

The vagina in its normal condition 
is a closed passage capable of disten- 
sion. It extends from the neck of the 
womb to the external surface of the 
body. Its walls are made of erectile 
and muscular tissue. 

The external genitals of the female 
consist of various folds of skin known 
as the labia between which are to be 
found the outlet of the urethra leading 
from the bladder, and the entrance to 
the vagina. In virgins the entrance to 
the vagina is partially closed by a fold 
of membrane known as the hymen. At 
the upper angle of the labia is to be 
140 



Terminology 

found a small erectile organ known as 
the clitoris which is homologous in na- 
ture to the penis. 

As a rule the essential sex character- 
istics assert themselves at puberty. This 
is in part due to the existence of a so- 
called internal secretion produced by 
the testicles and the ovaries which has 
marked effect upon the character de- 
velopment of the individuals. This 
function of the internal secretion is 
entirely separated and distinct from 
the formation of those living elements 
essential for reproduction. 

The power of procreation depends 
upon the liberation of an egg or ovum 
from the ovary and its transmission to 
the uterus, or at least to some point in 
the genital tract where it may be reach- 
ed by a sperm cell. Ova are periodi- 
cally expelled beginning with puberty 
and this process, generally speaking, is 
closely related to the phenomena of 
141 



Sex Education , 

menstruation. It has indeed been said 
that menstruation is periodic prepara- 
tion for maternity. There is, however, 
an independence of ovulation to the ex- 
tent that it may occur at other times 
than that of the periodic function. 

The seminal fluid is not dependent 
upon any periodicity. It is frequently 
expressed in normal males as a result 
of physical or psychic stimulation in 
order to relieve the seminal vesicles of 
the surplus of semen which they con- 
tain. Such functioning is normal and 
is not to be interpreted as an evidence 
of physical weakness. Seminal emis- 
sions should not be regarded as an evi- 
dence of irregular habits unless they oc- 
cur too frequently or there is suspicion 
that they occur during a waking stage 
rather than during the hours of sleep. 

To insure reproduction it is essential 
that a male sperm cell come directly in 
contact with the egg cell of the woman 
142 



Terminology 

and that the two join together so that 
the sperm is absorbed by the ovum and 
there is fusion of their essential ele- 
ments. Such a union of the sex ele- 
ments results in the fertilization of the 
egg, which is a prerequisite for the de- 
velopment of human life. The process 
of fertilization may occur in any part 
of the genital tract, but the usual place 
of growth and development of the pro- 
duct of conception is within the womb 
itself. 



H3 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



VI 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 



INASMUCH as the author has been 
called upon frequently to recom- 
mend books that may be of service 
to parents, teachers and social workers 
interested in the field of sex education, 
it has seemed desirable to make a com- 
pilation of those books which experi- 
ence has proven to be of distinct ser- 
vice. These books are selected for their 
educational value and for the special 
information they contain. Through 
them, parents, social workers and phy- 
sicians may be thoroughly grounded 
in the social and economic aspects of 
the sex-problem previous to entering 
upon actual campaigns of instruction. 
The bibliography is not complete as it 
does not include all books written upon 

H7 



Sex Education 

the subject, but it is a carefully selected 
list compiled as the result of personal 
acquaintance. 



148 



Bibliography 



EDUCATIONAL 

A Song of Life Margaret Warner Morley 

Life and Love Margaret Warner Morley 

Renewal of Life Margaret Warner Morley 

Nature's Truths told to a little Maid Margaret Irving 

Confidential Chats with Girls . .William Lee Howard, M.D. 
Confidential Chats with Boys . .William Lee Howard, M.D. 
Plain Facts on Sex Hygiene ..William Lee Howard, M.D. 
The Mysteries of Life 
Series Isabelle Thompson Smart, M.D. 

1. What a Mother should tell her little Girl. 

2. What a Father should tell his little Boy. 

3. What a Mother should tell her Daughter. 

4. What a Father should tell his Son. 

The Edward Bok Books of Self Knowledge for Young 

People and Parents: 

Instead of Wild Oats Winfield Scott Hall, M.D. 

When a Boy becomes a Man H. Bisseker 

How shall I tell my Child. .. .Mrs. Woodallen Chapman 

Herself, Talks with Women Concerning 

Themselves E. B. Lowry, M.D. 

Truths, Talks with a Boy E. B. Lowry, M.D. 

Confidences, Talks with a Young Girl . .E. B. Lowry, M.D. 

False Modesty E. B. Lowry, M.D. 

How to tell the Story of Reproduction to 

Children Mothers' Union, Kansas City, Mo. 

Education in Sexual Physiology and 

Hygiene Phillip Zenner, M.D. 

The American Boy and the Social Evil . . R. N. Wilson, M.D. 

Training the Young in Laws of Sex Hon. E. Littleton 

Healthy Boyhood Arthur Trewby 

Genesis Bernard S. Talmey, M.D. 

From Youth into Manhood W. S. Hall, M.D. 

Reproduction and Sexual Hygiene W. S. Hall, M.D. 

Society of Sanitary and Moral Prophylaxis Publications : 

The Young Man's Problem. 

Instruction in the Physiology and Hygiene of Sex. 

The Boy Problem. 

How my Uncle (the Doctor), instructed Me in Matters 

of Sex. 
Health Hygiene of Sex for College Students. 

149 



Sex Education 



Girl and Woman Caroline Latimer 

Four Epochs of a Woman's Life A. Galbraith, M.D. 

Woman in Girlhood, Wifehood, 

Motherhood Meyer Solis-Cohen, M.D. 

Girl in her Teens .. Margaret Slattery 

What a Young Girl ought to 

Know Mary Wood- Allen, M.D. 

What a Young Woman ought to 

Know Mary Wood- Allen, M.D. 

Sex Hygiene for the Male G. Frank Lydston, M.D. 

Sex Culture Talks to Young Men Norman Richardson 

What a Young Boy ought to Know . . Sylvanus Stall, D.D. 
What a Young Man ought to Know . . Sylvanus Stall, D.D. 

SOCIAL 

Hygiene and Morality L. L. Dock, R.N. 

Woman and Womanhood C. W. Saleeby, M.D. 

Parenthood and Race Culture C. W. Saleeby, M.D. 

Human Culture! Hubert Higgins 

A New Conscience and an Ancient Evil Jane Addams 

The White Slave Traffic in America . . . O. E. Janney, M.D. 
Social Diseases and Marriage . . . Prince W. Morrow, M.D. 
American Bad Boys in the 

Making Alexander H. Stewart, M.D. 

Libertinism and Marriage Louis Jullien, M.D. 

Marriage and Disease Senator-Kaminer 

The Social Evil — Report of the Committee of Fourteen. 

The Report of Chicago Vice-Commission. 

The Report of Minneapolis Vice-Commission. 

Report on Condition of Women and Child Wage-earners 

in the U. S. Vol. XV. Relation between Occupation and 

Criminality of Women. 
Report of Session on Hygiene of 

Sex Health Education League, Boston 

FOR ADVANCED READING 

Man and Woman Havelock Ellis, M.D. 

Psychology of Sex Havelock Ellis, M.D. 

The Sexual Question August Forel, M.D. 

The Century of the Child Ellen Key 

Love and Marriage Ellen Key 



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